In Don’t build your castle in other people’s kingdoms, Chris Zukowski talks about why it’s not a good idea to build your following solely on platforms you don’t control like social media or Twitch. They will eventually do something to pull the rug from underneath you.
I love how Chris uses pixel art illustrations to drive home the point.
His main rules are:
- Build your castle on land you own
- SHAMELESSLY USE THE OTHER KINGDOMS JUST LIKE THEY ARE USING YOU!
- Always move people back to your kingdom, never to another kingdom.
- Operate like your castle can get shutdown tomorrow
- Be suspicious of new kingdoms that give away easy visibility
- Give good reasons to go back to the Castle in your Kingdom. And be persistent!
and crucially:
You also need to be persistent. This isn’t a one time thing. Every week you should be telling them to follow you back to your kingdom. It will be slow, but building a TRUE following takes time.
The internet comic Oatmeal also has a strip for this that Chris also points to.